Ok so The Baby has this dorky play-mat thing,
Like, one of those things where babies lie on their backs and look up and swat at the toys dangling overhead,
And it’s made by Little Einsteins (hand-me-down, I did not purchase this thing) so I already had a little bit of an attitude problem towards the play-mat because, please, Little Einsteins,
And it’s all, like, bright colors, and there’s a freaky caterpillar and, like, bears sipping coffee in a café and a dog riding a bicycle or whatever,
So it’s totally dorky but about a month ago I figured what the hell and dragged it out of the garage and got it all cleaned up and set up and put him in the thing while thinking, “he’s not gonna be into this. He’s gonna see right through this thing.”
But he Loves It.
Loves It!
He will play in that thing, all by himself, for like 45 minutes at a stretch!
It’s amazing.
And I should be taking advantage of that free 45 minutes by getting the laundry started or something but its so hysterical to watch because he’ll coo at that handsome baby he can see in the little mirror, and he’ll grab at his toys and when he really gets going, like when he really really wants to get that dangling sunshine rattle thing, it’ll be All Hands On Deck!
Like, the arm he’s trying to use will be going, plus the other arm waving around, plus both legs kicking.
He’s concentrating so hard that everything is firing at once, and it cracks me up because its such a Baby Thing to do,
until I remember my first year or so at ballet, which was only coming on three years back, so, like, Recent History, and how every time I did anything new with the right arm the left arm and at least one leg would try to get in on the action too.

6 Responses to The left hand knows what the right hand is doing, and it wants a piece of the action.

Ah yes, the play mats! Some friends of mine have one nearly identical to that for their little girl and I tell ya, she’s determined to knock all those little dangling things off! Until she notices people watching, that is. Then all she wants to do is make sure she has everyone’s undivided attention! Daughter of an engineer and a doctor, too. I pitty the boys she’ll be going to school with in a few years – they don’t stand a chance!

I love your comparison between the very baby-like all limbs play to the awkwardness of learning ballet techniques for the first time. It’s absolutely true! I think the only reason why think of that goofy semi-autonomous-limbs stage of learning as being a “baby thing” is because everyone who was either lucky enough to learn their sport/art at a young age or not brave enough to try it later on are in the majority, and thus most people have never experienced this as a adult.

During my very first ballet class, which was an adult beginner class, my teacher was discussing proper alignment when standing in first position. She broke down laughing hysterially and pointed out to us that, just like her six year old class, we were all turning out our forearms in an attempt to get our lower bodies turned out. An entire class of 40 adults with their heels and elbows mushed together, and hands and toes splayed out to the sides, hehe!

LOL just yesterday I had the hardest time at the barre trying to do rond de jambes and port de bras at the same time. Feels impossible, I must say.
Little AB baby must be so cute! :) I love it how you’re drooling (not literally, I hope) for him and still thinking about ballet.
Plus, he doesn’t have the chicken head. Right? ;-)